Golf putting device



April 17, 1956 s. M. GRISWOLD GOLF PUTTING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 3. 1950 lweni'ofl: diaaaieyl iazwswoid, by M 8. m

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GOLF PUTTING DEVICE Filed May 3. 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 52 54 5 V w "e 2115. .m'iii f 10 2% I 54 April 17, 1956 s. M. GRISWOLD GOLF PUTTING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 3, 1950 1220282302 diaaiey M aeiswoid,

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This invention relates to golf putting devices, and more particularly to portable golf putting devices which may be conveniently packed or stored.

An object of the inventionis to provide a simple portable device for practicing putting away from a golf course and, by the use of which, the results closely approximate those obtained on an actual putting green.

In accordance with the aboveand other objects, I have provided a simple and effective putting device which may conveniently be placed on a suitable flat surface, such, for example, as a lawn, rug or carpet, to permit a player to practice putting at home or any other convenient place. The putting device comprises generally a cup member having a bottom and an upper surface provided with a golf cup-simulatingdepression open to the rear of the cup member, the upper surface being inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the forward edge of the bottom to the forward edge of the cup-simulating depression, the bottom of the cup-simulating depression being inclined downwardly and rearwardly fromthe for ward portion thereof to the rear of the cup member to cause balls entering said cup-simulating depression to move rearwardly and out of said depression.

The cup member, which may be made of any suitable material such as wood, rubber, metal, or plastic, is shaped in any suitable manner, such, for example, as machining, molding, casting or stamping. The upper surface of the cup member is preferably formed in two general planes, one such plane extending upwardly and rearwardly from the forward edge ofthe bottom to the forward edge portion of the golfcup-simulating depression and the other plane extending rearwardly therefrom to the rear portion of the cup depression. The area adjacent to the sides of the cup depression is, preferably, substantially horizontal and, together with the forward inclined plane portion, forms a suitable approach surface for the device thus simulating conditions substantially as they are on an actual putting green. The golf cup-simulating depression is generally circular and has a diameter which approximates the diameter of an actual hole or cup on a golf course. The rear portion of the cup depression opens into an exit passage, the bottom of which is inclined downwardly and rearwardly to cause balls to move out of the cup-simulating depression and into a ball collecting receptacle.

The present device is preferably provided with barriers located at opposite sides of the exit passage to deflect inaccuratelyputted balls away from the cup-simulating depression, the exit passage and the ball receptacle. Thesebarriers may be formed as a part of the cup memher or they may be in the form of separate shields suitably mounted on the cup member. The barriers or shields, preferably, present a concave face to an inaccurately putted ball and deflect inaccurately putted balls laterally away from the cup depression. The leading or free edge of each of the barriers orshields is located adjacent to the junction of the speriphery of the cupsimulating depression and the sides of the exit passage.

Thus, a fast cup-rimming ball will strike the leading edge of the barrier and will be deflected away from the cup depression. It is desirable under some conditions to so mount the barriers or shields on the cup member that they will yield slightly under the impact of a slowly moving cup-rimming ball to permit the ball to enter the cup depression but at the same time will be effective .to deflect faster moving cup-rimming and other inaccurately putted balls. The yieldable shields or barriers may be pivotally mounted on the cup member and are yieldingly maintained in position by suitable means, such, for example as a spring.

Another feature of the invention resides in providing means for collecting or segregating accuratelyputted, or scoring balls from those which have not been accurately putted. This feature is of particular value when two or more players are competing against each other and it is desired to keep an accurate score. The present device is provided with a receptacle located rearwardly of the cup member and into which accurately putted balls en'- tering the cup-simulating depression are received after they have passed down the inclined exit passage in the cup member. The ball receptacle is preferably hingedly secured to the cup member and is provided with upstanding side and rear walls for preventing the escape of balls therefrom. Preferably, the-ball receptacle is provided with a guide groove or trough aligned with the exit passage in the cup member for guiding balls from the exit passage rearwardly and laterally to ball collecting compartments located on each side of the guide groove. Thus, accurately putted balls are collected in the receptacle and the path of an accurately putted ball is unobstructed by previously putted balls, thus further insuring accurate scoring.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodimcnts of the invention, and in which-,-

Figure 1 is a plan view of a golf putting device including a ball collecting receptacle arranged systematical- 1y to line-up the balls entering therein;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing in dotted lines the position of the ball collecting receptacle in folded position; 7

Fig.3 is a vertical transverse section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section showing the mounting of the barriers on the cup member;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a golf putting device including a modified ball collecting receptacle;

Fig. 7 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary plan illustrating a modified form of barrier; and

Fig. 10 is a view in section taken along the line 10--10 of Fig. 9.

a The putting device illustrated in the drawings includes a cup member 2 formed of a somewhat yieldable grade of rubber or rubber-like material having a flat bottom or supporting face 3 and a front approach surface 4 which is inclined upwardly and rearwardly in a general plane from the forward edge of the bottom 3 to the forward edge of a golf cup-simulating or ball-receiving depression 6 and continuing rearwardly adjacent to the periphery thereof in another general plane. The slope of the inclined approach surface 4, particularly adjacent to the periphery of the cup-simulating depression, is as flat as possible so that actual playing conditions will be closely simulated. The forward portion of theapprcach surface 4, as illustrated, is substantially planar forwardly of the cup-simulating depression 6 and all portions of the surface 4 along lines generally parallel to the front edge of the device are also parallel to the general plane of the supporting face 3. Thus, a ball accurately putted from a position directly in front of the device will not be deflected to one side or the other because of any lateral slope of the approach surface 4. Flanking the front approach and the lateral rearward extension of the surface 4 are unobstructed side surfaces 8 which taper downwardly therefrom to the bottom face of the body memher 2. The cup-simulating depression 6 is open at the rear and extends into an exit passage or trough 10 opening through the back wall of the cup member 2. The exit passage or trough 10 intercepts the periphery of the ball-receiving depression and the width thereof is somewhat greater than the diameter of a golf ball but is substantially less than the diameter of the cup-simulating depression 6. The bottom 12 of the cup-simulating depression 6 is inclined downwardly and rearwardly from the front portion thereof to the rear end of the exit passage or trough 10 to permit scoring balls to move rearwardly out of said depression and said exit passage or trough 10.

The construction thus far described discloses an arrangement wherein a properly or accurately putted ball will enter the golf cup-simulating depression 6 at a point forward of the widest portion of the cup, as viewed from the front, and a slowly moving cup-rimming ball, although it might not actually enter the cup at such a point, would begin to rim the cup forwardly of such point and would subsequently drop into the cup depression. It is desired to provide barriers for preventing inaccurately putted balls passing either slightly to the right or slightly to the left of the cup depression 6 from falling into the ball collecting receptacle 14, and mixing with the accurately putted or scoring balls. The present invention contemplates the use of barriers located on opposite sides of the exit passage or trough 10, the leading edges of which are located rearwardly of the widest portion of the cup depression 6, as viewed from the front. As illustrated, the leading edge of each of said barriers 16 is located adjacent the forward edges of said exit passage or trough 10 at the junction of the side walls of the exit passage or trough 10 with the periphery of the cup depression 6. The barriers 16 preferably present a con cave surface to the putted ball and are so located that a ball striking them would be deflected laterally away from the ball receiving depression 6.

The barriers 16 are preferably resiliently or yieldingly mounted to reduce the speed of cup rimming balls and the rebound of deflected balls. The barriers 16, as shown in Fig. 1, are each pivotally mounted at their outer ends on the cup member 2 at the rear portion of side surfaces 8 and with their inner and opposing free or leading ends aligned with the rim of the ball-receiving depression 6 at its junction with the entrance to exit passage or trough 10 when at rest, but yieldable to a ball striking thereagainst fromthe front, to swing rearwardly. The barriers 16 comprise a shield member 18 secured at its outer end to a vertical post 20. The shield members 18 have concave front or ball-engaging surfaces and are of a height such that a ball will not jump the barrier. Posts 22 (Fig. are pivotally mounted on the cup member Z'in bushings 24 sunk in opposite outer rear portions of the cup member. The posts 22 are provided with spring members 26 in the form of a turn of spring wire about said post with one end secured to the shield 16 and with the other end pressing inwardly against the outer surface ofa stop 28 mounted on the outer portion of the cup member 2 of the device and in front of the outer portion of shield 18. The curvature of the shield 16 is such and the tension of the spring is such, that under the im yield sufficiently to permit open portion of the cup, but under the impact of a faster leading edge of a deflector, that deflector or barrier will the ball to drop into the rear moving cup-rimming ball or an inaccurately putted ball, neither barrier will yield sufficiently to permit the ball to drop into the exit trough and instead will deflect the ball toward the front of the device and away from the cup. Stops 30 are mounted on the body of the device and are spaced inwardly from the stops 28 and in front of the inner end portions of the shields 18 to hold the shields in normal 'ball deflecting position.

The device is provided with a ball collecting receptacle 14 having side walls 38 and a rear wall 40. As illustrated, the receptacle 14 is preferably connected to the cup member 2 by hinges 42 which permit the receptacle 14 to be folded upon the cup member 2. The ball collecting receptacle 14 is provided with a bottom 44 which is provided with means for guiding the ball entering the receptacle to receiving troughs 46. The guiding means comprises a concave groove or ramp 48 which extends from the exit level of the exit passage bottom 12 downwardly to the rear portion of the receptacle bottom 46. As shown best in Fig. 4, the outer receiving troughs or ramps 46 are likewise in the form of concave grooves or troughs and extend laterally on opposite sides of the ball guiding groove 48. The ball receiving ramps 46 are inclined downwardly and forwardly from substantially the level of the rear end portion of the ball guiding ramp 48. Balls rolling out of the cup-simulating depression 6 through the exit passage or trough 10 and into the trough 48 are guided to the rear of the receptacle 14 and laterally into one or the other of the forwardly and downwardly inclined ball receiving troughs or ramps 46. When the entrances to the ball receiving or collecting troughs 46 areunobstructed, a ball leaving the guide ramp or trough 48 is free to roll into either trough 46. When, however, one ball receiving trough 46 is filled, subsequent balls are deflected into the other trough 46. Under certain conditions, the endmost ball in the receiving trough 46 may be slightly out of optimum deflecting position and hence means are provided for displacing the ball forwardly or rearwardly in the trough 46 as required in playing. To this end, ball stops 50 are provided which are rigidly secured to the bottom 44 of receptacle 14 and are in the form of metal braces which project upwardly and transversely of the trough 46 a height and width suflicient to contact a ball at its foremost surface. Adjustment of the stops 50 may quickly and easily be accomplished by bending the upstanding leg forwardly or rearwardly to alter the position thereof and thereby correct the line-up of balls within the trough 46. The walls 38 and 40 of the receptacle 14 are of a height suflicient to retain only those balls entering the receptacle which are putted hard enough to fall into a cup on a conventional putting green. For example, if a ball is putted too hard to be sunk on a conventional putting green then a similarly putted ball will pass down the guiding trough 48 and the rear wall 40 will be ineffective to stop the ball and hence such ball will not be collected for score.

Ball collecting arms 52 are mounted on the ball collecting receptacle 14 by means of bracket plates 54. These bracket plates are fixedly secured to the bottom surface of an arm adjacent to an end and pivotally secured to the bottom 44 adjacent to a rear corner. This mounting permits the arms to be swung forwardly to a position parallel tothe side walls 38 when the device is notin use, or to be extended outwardly therefrom at an angle when the device is in use to deflect balls hitting said arms toward the receptacle and the body of the device.

Pins 56 are shown secured to the under surface of bottom 44 adjacent to bracket plates 54 and project downwardly. Similar pins 58 are shown secured to the base of cup member 2. These pins 56 and 58 serve to anchor the device to the surface on which it may be the body 2 to form a compact unit.

The modification shown in Figs. 9 and 10 illustrates a removable barrier 32 suitably fixed to the cup member 22. The barrier 32 is preferably formed of sheet metal bent to present a concave face which will deflect inaccurately putted balls laterally away from the cup-simulating depression 6, The barrier 32 is provided with an arcuate depending portion 34 which is inserted in an arcuate slot 36 formed in the cup member 2. The material of which the cup member is formed is preferably of molded rubber with at least the portions thereof adjacent to the slots 36 being of a somewhat yieldable grade of rubber or rubber like material. The slot 36 is so located that the leading edge 37 of the barrier 32 will be located at substantially the junction of the periphery of the cupsimulating depression 6 with the side wall of the exit passage or trough 10. Thus if the cup member 2 is formed of resilient material, such, for example, as rubber, the barrier 32 will yield slightly under the impact of a slowly moving cup-rimming ball and will reduce the speed thereof sufliciently to permit it to enter the cup-simulating depression 6.

A simplified form of ball-collecting receptacle may be substituted for the ramped receptacle above described. In Figs. 6-8, a ball-collecting receptacle 62 is shown having side walls 64, rear wall 66 and a bottom 68 joined at its front portion to the base of the rear walls of the cup member 2 defining trough 10, by hinges 70. The bottom 68 is tapered downwardly from the bottom level of exit passage or trough 10 to the rear wall 66 so that balls entering the receptacle from the trough or exit passage 10 will tend to lineup at the further end of the receptacle out of the way of subsequently entering balls. The walls of receptacle 62 are of a height to function similarly to those of the ramped receptacle inretaining only the correctly putted balls. Receptacle 62 is provided with side arms 72 functioning similarly to those on the ramped receptacle illustrated in Figs. 1-5. Plates 74 pivotally mounted in side arms 72 to the under surface of bottom 68 are shown each bearing a downwardly projecting pin 76 for anchoring the device to the, playing surface.

It will be seen that the device is of simple construction and it may be formed of suitable material such as wood, metal, plastic, molded pulp, rubber, or the like, or any combination of these materials. Preferably, the body is formed of molded rubber and the receptacle may be constructed from wood while the arms, brackets and pins, and the barriers are preferably formed of metal.

it will be apparent that the results of play on this device simulate those to the cup of an actual putting green. Thus the body of the device, with or-without the barriers, may be used without the ball collecting receptacle if convenience in retrievingthe balls for future play is not essential. in this case, the player needs only keep a care- The barriers assist in determining the successful putts. Their purpose may be served by other constructions coming within the scope of this invention. The barriers may be rigid and may have a fixed mounting instead of a'pivotal mounting. The barriers may be formed mainly of rigid material but maybe provided with leading edges of yieldable or resilient material. The shield members may also be entirely resilient in character, for example, of molded rubber, whereby when their leading edges are struck by a ball the force of the impact will cause them to bend rearwardly to permit the ball to pass to the rear of the body and then they will spring back to their normal position.

7 Having disclosed my invention, what I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A golf putting device comprising a cup member having a bottom and an upper surface having a substantially circular golf cup-simulating depression and a rearwardly extending exit passage intersecting the rear portion of the periphery of said depression, said exit passage having side walls spaced apart sutiiciently to permit free passage of a golf ball, the approach portion of said upper surface being inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the forward edge of the bottom to the forward edge portion of the golf cup-simulating depression, the bottom of said golf cup-simulating depression and said exit passage being inclined downwardly and rearwardly from the forward portion thereof to the rear of the cup member to cause balls entering said golf cup-simulating depression to move rearwardly and out of said depression and said exit passage, and vertical, yieldably mounted barriers disposed on the cup member on opposite sides of said exit passage and each presenting a concave face forwardly of the device, the leading edges of said barriers being located at substantially the points of intersection of the sides of said exit passage with the periphery of said depression and the barriers extending rearwardly and outwardly away from said passage to deflect inaccurately putted balls away from said passage, said barriers being yieldable rearwardly at their leading edge portions sufiiciently to permit balls passing rearwardly along the edge of the golf cup-simulating depression to drop into said depression and pass through said rearwardly extending exit passage.

2. A golf putting device comprising a cup memher having a bottom and an upper approach surface provided with a golf cup-simulating depression and anexit passage open to the rear of the cup member, the upper surface of said cup member being inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the forward edge of the bottom to the forward edge of the golf cup-simulating depression, said cup member being slotted at opposite sides of said exit passage, the substance of the cup member adjacent to said slots being of yieldable material, and vertical barriers each presenting a concave face forwardly of the device and having lower end portions arranged to be received in said slots for supporting said barriers with their leading.

edges adjacent to the junction of the periphery of the golf cup-simulating depression and the sides of the exit passage, said barriers being yieldablerearwardly at their leading edge portions sufiiciently to permit balls passing 'rearwardly along the edge of the golf cup-simulating depression to drop into said depression and pass through said rearwardly extending exit passage} 3. The device of claim 1 in which the barriers are pivotally mounted on the cup member. s

4. The device of claim 1 in which the upper surface of the cup member is further provided with unobstructed downwardly tapering side surfaces.

5. The device of claim 1 in which the rearwardly extending exit passage of the cup member communicates with a ball receptacle secured to said cup member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 426,674 Great Britain 1935 

